It appears Avengers: Doomsday is following its theatrical trailer release after all, with the latest showcasing the return of the original X-Men from 2000.
Avengers: Doomsday continues to trickle-feed trailers to its audience at a slow pace after the trailers have gone through an initial theatrical run. While all of the trailers so far have been filled with nostalgia for the entire MCU catalogue, the latest one takes Marvel back to its modern film beginnings, the X-Mansion. Marvel has been keenly dipping into its catalogue to tie its film history with the current state of the MCU, bringing the fan-favourite casting, Hugh Jackman, out of character retirement for Deadpool & Wolverine, and Robert Downey Jr.’s return to the franchise after his demise in Endgame as Doctor Doom. The latest trailer brings back three more Marvel legends for Doomsday, and it can be seen below.
Patrick Stewart (Professor X), Ian McKellen (Magneto) and James Marsden (Cyclops) are reprising their original roles from X-Men (2000) in Avengers: Doomsday, and the trailer pans over a decimated X-Mansion in ruin, to an eerie warning from Professor X himself, “Death comes for us all.”
Professor X is wearing an emblazoned X logo on his jacket in the trailer, and Cyclops himself is adorned in the blue and yellows of the original X-Men comics as he’s seen unleashing a particularly nasty Optic Blast at the trailer’s end. While it has already been confirmed that Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers and Chris Hemsworth’s Thor are returning in Doomsday, this is the first time Ian McKellen has reprised his role as Magneto since X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014).
Interestingly enough, not all X-Men from the original films will be returning, nor have they been contacted to return to the universe. While the big three listed above are slated to return (alongside Alan Cumming as Nightcrawler, Rebecca Romijn as Mystique, and Kelsey Grammer as Beast), Famke Janssen, who played alpha mutant Jean Grey/Phoenix, will not be returning. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, she said Marvel has “never” approached her with the opportunity to appear in the MCU. Sophie Turner (the actress who played Jean Grey/Phoenix after Janssen) has neither confirmed nor denied involvement with Avengers: Doomsday.
Avengers: Doomsday will undoubtedly release more trailers further into the year, as the film is scheduled to land in theatres on December 18, 2026.
